Labour Celebrates Significant Bus Reform in Decades

Image: The electric double decker buses are set to hit the roads in Coventry next year | Credit: Zenobe

The government has unveiled new legislation aimed at giving local authorities across England more control over bus services. This is in an effort to halt the sharp decline in bus usage, which has seen nearly 300 million fewer miles driven by buses annually since 2010.

The proposed Buses Bill has been introduced in Parliament. This bill would extend the powers currently only available to mayoral combined authorities. This move would grant all local transport authorities the ability to manage and operate their own bus services, offering them more flexibility to tailor public transportation to the needs of their communities.

In parallel, the government has launched a consultation process to offer advice on best practices and guide local leaders in transitioning services into public control.

Despite being the most widely used mode of public transportation in the UK, bus services have experienced a decline in both routes and journeys—a trend the government attributes to "nearly four decades of failed deregulation." Furthermore, bus use has struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The new legislation seeks to replicate the successes of cities like London and, more recently, Manchester, where the public-controlled Bee Network saw a five percent increase in passenger numbers in its first year. The proposed Bill would remove the ban on establishing new publicly owned bus companies and allow local authorities to introduce a franchising system, giving them control over routes, timetables, and fares.

The government also emphasized that it will take action to improve bus services for communities that opt not to pursue public control, ensuring that all areas benefit from the proposed reforms.

"Buses are the lifeblood of our communities, but for too many people, it has become impossible to rely on local services, as routes have been slashed and timetables hollowed out," said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh. "Today is the first stop on our journey to delivering better buses across the country. After decades of failed deregulation, local leaders will finally have the powers to provide services that deliver for passengers.

We are taking steps to support local leaders in delivering improved bus services faster and cheaper than ever before.

"With local communities firmly back in the driving seat, our bus revolution will save vital routes up and down the country and put passengers first."

The measures were welcomed by Jason Prince, director of the Urban Transport Group, which represents public transport networks. "We welcome the pace at which government is moving on its ambitious transport agenda," he said. "Buses are the cornerstone of our public transport system, so it's greatly encouraging to see this new package of measures, which will deliver better bus services for more local areas. We look forward to working with government to create a smoother journey for all bus passengers."

However, Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whately argued that Labour's plans were "unfunded" and would not "make a blind bit of difference for passengers."

"It won't increase the number of services, and they would much prefer to have the £2 fare cap extended at the Budget," she said, referring to the previous government's post-pandemic cap on bus fares.

This announcement comes as the government continues to face pressure over its plans to fund the transition of the UK's bus fleet to zero-emission models.

Last week, a report from the Urban Transport Group outlined vital recommendations to speed up the deployment of electric and hydrogen buses. The report emphasized the need to introduce around 15,000 zero-emission buses by 2036 to meet regional net-zero targets, translating to approximately 1,200 new electric or hydrogen buses being rolled out annually.

The UK currently leads Europe in the adoption of zero-emission buses, yet only 4.3 percent of England's 30,200 buses are emissions-free. Of those, the majority—1,000 out of 1,200—operate in London, where the city ceased purchasing diesel buses in 2021. This underscores the challenge of expanding the zero-emission fleet to other regions nationwide.